It has been a year since the most powerful man in the universe was released in his iconic battle armor and now its Skeletorís turn to don his own enchanted armor as well. Fans have been anxiously awaiting the release of this armored variant of Skeletor. With the release of his loyal steed Panthor looming just a monthís time from his arrival, fans will finally be able to display both He-Man and Skeletor atop their oversized felines in the heat of battle.

There are a lot of differences and similarities alike between the original Skeletor figure and this new Battle Armor version. One of the most significant differences on Battle Armor Skeletor is the new prominent bright yellow paint deco on his face which gives the figure a more retro look this time around. As per fan-demand, Mattel did a last-minute change on this figure by painting the feet in the same purple as his chin armor which makes it look like Skeletor is actually wearing boots.

In regard to new tooling, this new variant includes a brand new 2-piece battle armor with removable chest plates in the tradition of the battle-armored version of He-Man and this yearís Palace Guards pack. The battle armor can be easily removed from the figure via 4-pressure clips located on the shoulders and back. The armor is painted in a dark purple which has a metallic flake affect to it. The other parts of the armor are colored in a black gloss paint which contrast quite well against the green and burgundy highlight on the bat chest symbol. Another very subtle but nice detail is the painted fingernails on Skeletorís hands.

This Skeletor variant would have made a great buck body to enhance the regular version with but unfortunately, the entire upper body is painted in the same metallic purple color as the armor rendering this figure useless for customizing into in to anything but a different looking armored Skeletor.

Battle Armor Skeletor does not include a havoc staff or sword but he makes up for it with a cool purple battle axe just like He-Man. The joints are nice and tight on this particular figure and the paint apps on these figures continue to impress with other monthís release.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: While this is not exactly one of my favorite MOTUC figures released to date, it is a very nice looking variant of Skeletor and I canít wait to display him atop Panthor when I receive mine next month. Battle Armor Skeletor will be on sale on March 15th exclusively at mattycollector.com along side this monthís Club Eternia figure, King Hsss (read our review HERE). Aside form the subscription releases, fans will also get a second chance at purchasing several other MOTUC figures that day such as Count Marzo, Princess Adora and Evil-Lyn.